CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSSPFC Harold Doerr, a member of the ground echelon of VMF-223, was slated to leave Guadalcanal on 16 October 1942. He was one of about 150 ambulatory patients – sick, wounded, or combat fatigued – taken aboard the USS McFarland (AVD-14) for evacuation.

At 1750, the ship was attacked by a flight of nine Aichi Type 99 dive bombers. The final plane landed a bomb on the McFarland’s stern, setting off the ship’s depth charges and causing havoc among the passengers packed on the exposed deck. PFC Doerr was among them, reportedly blown overboard by the explosion.

Doerr was reported as missing in action when the McFarland beached at Tulagi. An official declaration of death followed on 17 October, 1943.